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cyccommute, thanks for clarifying, though I didn't picture you putting a gas motor on a bike. I think it's fine to enjoy stuff like that briefly and even to fantasize about it. Practical details make themselves clear soon enough. I knew a fellow who had put a gas engine on a bike. The noise was horrific and so were the fumes. He was in high school, so I didn't say a word to discourage him. He was experimenting, and I knew he would get practical one day. He did. He became a heroic bike mechanic as a young adult. Unfortunately, while riding his unmotorized bike, a car driver hit and killed him. He was so young that it was tragic, and I learned that I had been an influence on him. It's painful to think about.
I am not as opposed to motorized bikes as you are. I don't crave one yet, but eventually, I think I'll have one. I read a lot of stories about some use it to go faster, some use it to go farther, and some use it to ride when riding a bike is otherwise impractical. In fact, the area around our home in rural New York State is quite hilly. I occasionally ride my bike to the food coop where we buy most of our food, but only occasionally, because it's a big undertaking because of the hills. It's only two miles each way, but whenever I think about it, I ask myself if I have the energy to take it on. If I had an e-bike, it would be a no-brainer. And compared with driving a car, that's a win, because the difference between the energy the e-bike trip takes and the energy a car -- electric or gas -- uses, is a big one. If an e-bike replaces a car, or if a few e-bike trips replace a few car trips, it seems like a good thing to me. In my current life, I drive a car only once or twice a week. I'd be happy if I could reduce that further.
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52telecaster, it's amazing that you say that. The Honda Fit is the only car model I can picture owning right now, and I am also dismayed at the selection of electric cars in the US market. Asia and Europe have Fit-sized electric cars, and we don't. The Chevy Bolt is the closest, and they just discontinued the car version and now only make the SUV version. Grr! My spouse's car is pretty nifty but it's insanely oversized and insanely overpowered. I thought one driving (!) force behind EVs is that they save energy. Well, we're not saving energy when we accelerate from 0 to 60 in under 3 seconds. Do we really need that ability? These makers are showing off, and yes, I'm impressed, but I really could live without it. Will we ever do anything about the American appetite for power?